Thursday, January 6, 2011

Russian Snow Princess, Encore

Russian Snow Princess at Lemania Indigo Designs

The highlight of winter in Second Life are the gorgeous winter scenes found on many of the sims, islands, and properties in the virtual world. They provided me a welcomed opportunity to create a new set of photos of my favorite winter fashion - Russian Snow Princess. This outfit is a wonderful period piece that seems inspired by Tolstoy's Russia. Last year, I featured Russian Snow Princess in this blog, and it continues to be one of my most popular posts. But, I was so pleased with these new pictures that I wanted to share them with you. Well, I thought, why not bring back Russian Snow Princess for another performance? She deserves an encore and another bow. So allow me to present once again for your enjoyment, Russian Snow Princess

Click on the pictures to enlarge them to their original size for better viewing.

Mariko Nightfire as Anna Karenina

Russian Snow Princess was designed by the marvelous Lemania Indigo, prolific designer and owner of Lemania Indigo Designs. Russian Snow Princess comes with corset, pants, gloves, stockings, footwear, a fur hat and a number of fur pieces, a flowing flexy skirt, and a prim skirt. It currently sells for L$495. You can create a number of different looks with this outfit. For a more complete description of Russian Snow Princess, please visit my original Russian Snow Princess post.

First Snowfall

About the pictures. Usually, when taking pictures for a fashion post, I use default settings so that the fashions are presented as most people will see them in Second Life. However, with these pictures, I wanted to use the winter backgrounds to create moods. To manipulate the color shading, lighting, and contrast of the backgrounds, I went off the default settings. But, in none of these pictures do I use windlight. By windlight, I am referring to atmospheric shaders.

Windlight is used by Second Life photographers to create sumptuous atmospheric and lighting effects. It's great for landscape photography. But, when the picture's subject and center of attention is avatars, I rarely use windlight especially when I want realism. Windlight does not favor avatars. It's harsh light can remove up to fifty percent of the details of a finely crafted skin. That is why avatars will look like cartoons or plastic dolls under windlight. We are all familiar with that flashlight-in-your-face plastic look that we see in many SL pictures. Now, I understand that some people do like a cartoony look for their avatars. But, in general, avatars under windlight are cold and lifeless, just like a store mannequin. In these pictures, I applied various sky settings in the environmental settings, just like using windlight, but with atmospheric shaders turned off. I am also wearing a soft facelight with a narrow range. I get the mood creating backgrounds that I want. And my avatar is warmer and softer and light falls on me more realistically than under windlight.

Windlight or not, Russian Snow Princess is magical isn't it? Get it at Lemania Indigo Designs while it is still in season. And experiment taking portrait pictures of your avatars without windlight. You may be surprised at how lovely your avatars really are.

Pictures were taken at Ocelot Valley, designed and owned by Painter Meriman, at Cap Estel, a wonderful public park designed and owned by Maurice Messme, and at the residence of my dear friend, Jaysun Dagger.

What is Mariko Magic

Welcome to Mariko Magic a blog about fashion in the cyber world of Second Life. This is not about what is new in the stores. Its about those rare styles and outfits that are creating Fashion Magic. There are some wonderful talents creating exceptional fashion in Second Life. Some are well known and many more deserve to be. I will feature them and their most magical creations. We all thrill when we find that special outfit that creates magic for us. Grace and Sophistication. Sensual and Sexy. Cute and Whimsical. There are many elements that flow and mix to create fashion magic. It takes a special talent to get it just right. So lets go find these exceptional designers and their creations and highlight them here..If you have any suggestions or have found some fashion magic, please send me an email at mariko_nightfire@live.com . Perhaps you already have some magic in your clothing inventory and would like to model it for this blog. Let me know.